Tag Archives: Non Resident Indian

Our Experiences with Indian visa application in canada

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We recently went through the process of applying for Indian visa for a family member with Canadian nationality. More specifically, the applicant in this case is a person of Indian origin, and holds a Canadian passport, who currently lives in USA. If a Canadian Citizen living in US applies for a visitor’s visa within USA (at the the Indian Consulates in USA), the longest Visa issued is for six months only. If you need a longer visa, the only option is going to the nearest Indian Consulate in Canada, and apply for the Visa on the Canadian soil.

The Indian consulate in Canada no longer issues all the visa approvals directly. Outsourcing is part of modern business plan, so it seems for the visa process as well. The main page of the Indian Consulate in Toronto points this out right away:
“As a major step towards upgrading visa services, the Consulate has outsourced the collection of visa applications and their delivery to M/s VF Services – Canada (VFS). Applications for Visa, Passport and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card should now be sent to the Indian Visa Consular Services Centres operated by VFS at the following locations:…”
The locations listed are Toronto, Brampton and Winnipeg.

Also, note that:
“The Consulate will continue to accept applications for emergency visa, emergency passport (Tatkaal), Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card , Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) and all attestation services from 9:00 am to 11:30 am (Mon-Fri). Processed documents will be delivered from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm (Mon-Fri).”
The Emergency Visa is only for one month, and can be received on the same day from the Consulate office directly. Continue reading →

Welcome to America

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Husband’s third day in US.

“Slept well, finally”, he yawned.
“Good. I heated water in the microwave, for tea”, wife said.
“I like pan made tea, don’t you?”
“Yeah, may be later; can you help me with washing these dishes please.”

He hesitated, then walked over to the microwave slowly, “let me have tea first.” Continue reading →

Import of Gold and Silver into India by NRIs

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Facilities on overseas assets for NRIs returning to India – Gold and Silver import

Below are the general guidelines on Gold and Silver import into India by returning NRIs including maximum limits, duty and other restrictions:

Import of gold by NRIS

  • NRIs can bring into India gold up to 10,000 grams as part of their baggage once in six months provided they have stayed abroad for a continuous period of six months.
  • The gold may be brought into India in any form, including ornaments (other than ornaments studded with stones and pearls).
  • NRIs are required to pay customs duty in any convertible foreign currency. Refer to the Export Import Policy of the Government of India for the latest rate in rupees per 10 grams of gold.
  • NRI can bring gold into India once in six months.
  • NRI should have stayed abroad at least for a minimum period of six months prior to his/her return to India for being eligible to bring gold.

Import of silver by NRIS

  • NRIs can bring to India silver up to 100 kilograms as part of their personal baggage.

    • Continue reading →

Facilities on overseas assets for Indians returning to India

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R2I facilities on overseas assets for Indians returning to India

Here are some key highlights of the Indian facilities related to overseas assets and financial situations for Indians returning to India:

Retaining assets abroad:

  • Effective 17th July, 1992, the Indian Central Government has granted exemption from the surrender requirement to persons who return to India after a continuous stay abroad of one year and above in respect of funds/assets acquired by them abroad otherwise than in contravention of FERA 1973 or out of foreign exchange earned through employment, business or vocation outside India taken up or commenced while they were resident outside India. Persons satisfying the conditions of general exemption can retain their foreign currency accounts within bank abroad and/or hold, transfer or dispose of their other foreign currency assets such as shares, securities or investments in business, etc. and immovable properties.
  • They are not required to obtain any permission from Reserve Bank for holding these assets.
  • They would enjoy complete freedom for utilization of these assets as well as income earned or sale proceeds received subsequently.

    • Continue reading →

Happiness outsourced

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His house sits in one of the most upper-scale and affluent residential area of Chicago suburbs. As I walked inside the double-door entrance with marble sidings, I quickly realized that the inside of the mansion is even more impressive and pretty that outside view. There are two separate staircases leading to the upper storey; there are multiple bathrooms on the main floor; the open ceiling concept has a catwalk that overlooks the family room; the kitchen alone is bigger than decent size luxury apartment…

If you look at the size of house, you would think that some millionaire lives here. Maybe, he is a millionaire; it is hard to guess his wealth out of his humble disposition and very friendly nature.

After a brief chit-chat, I asked him about his occupation. I knew he was not working much currently, but I was very curious to find out where he got the big bucks to build that big mansion.

“One second, be right back”, he briefly went into the kitchen and came back with two cups of hot tea – steam still floating over the edges.

“It was a good job, a very good job. Only 15 minutes drive from the house,” he reflected on his past occultation, the cup of tea resting on his thigh as he leaned back in the easy-chair.

For 15 years, I found out, Ramesh had worked for an electronics company as a quality controller. He does not have any special technical education –engineering degree or anything else of the sort.
“I started on the assembly line, but I was promoted to the supervisor within years”, there is a happiness in his voice as he walks down the memory lane.
“Everybody appreciated what I did for the company. I used to get letters of recognition all the way from Japan – our upper management headquarters.”
“So, what happened?” I asked curiously.
“Outsourcing!” he did not feel any further need to explain. But then, after a brief pause, he spoke with a sad tone, his voice lowered, “they did not need us anymore, they found cheaper ways to do what we did, in other countries!”
“Oh, I see!” I did not know what else to say.

For the past 4 years Ramesh has struggled to find a decent job. Most of the jobs that need his skills are outsourced. After trying for years, he gave up on the job market, and tried to do what one of his best friends does – real estate agent. Continue reading →

Welcome to the world of Holi festival – without colors

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The Holi day in India; the festival of colors! Dry colors , wet colors, sticky colors, shiny colors, or just plain water if you run out of the colors – everything is a fair game. Friends, foes, families, strangers – everybody is a fair target, well, most of the time. No one minds, or to be politically correct, no one is supposed to mind, if their all dressy outdoor wear is smudged with colors. No one is supposed to hold a grudge if their best dress gets messed up from the Holi colors. Why? Because it is Holi, the festival of colors – no other explanation is needed. A rainbow of colors is an expected scene – almost everywhere.

If you live in India or grew up there, we all know, you can go crazy with the colors if you want to. The day itself demands you to be colorful – inside and out.

Just like in India, the Indian communities abroad – all around the world, celebrate Holi festival. However, there is a often one big difference in the celebrations – the absence of the colors (or very few colors – just as a symbol). Plain and simple – it is not as colorful!

In many overseas celebrations, the scene is not quite the same as in India. In many countries, it is just like any other normal day. You can celebrate the festival within the walls of your own home, or in your own backyard, or with some desi friends if you are lucky to find those who understand the Holi spirits. That’s about it. Your choices and your enthusiasm are limited. Even within Indian circles, very few bothers to celebrate Holi now-a-days! At least, not like we used to, in India. Many westernized Indian kids want to enjoy it in their won way – from a distance, as long as the colors don’t touch them. Why would you want to look ridiculous and messy in the middle of the day! Continue reading →

Extra polite or not so…?

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The shopkeeper is extra polite when he does not understand the customer.
The listener is extra polite when she doe not understand you and says, “Could you repeat that please!”

People are just normal polite when they can relate to you. But if you are getting lots of ‘extra polite treatment’, that may mean many things, including some of the things like:

  •  they don’t get you
  • they don’t understand you
  • they don’t relate to you
  • they find you different than their own kind
  • they don’t know how to interact with you…

Or, in rare cases, they are just extra nice people being extra polite, but you can always tell the difference.

The modern day social disassociation is not a slap in the face, a rude remark, or an outrageous action such as asking you to leave. Instead, it is the actions with extra care, with extra politeness that convey the message.

Most of the times, extra politeness is just extra caution people use when dealing with someone different, someone who does not fit in. Continue reading →

Unmourned Death of a Mother Tongue

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The dusk crawls on the suburban town of Fairfield. The evening chill of February is starting to feel on his wrinkled hands.

Arjun sits on the park bench, watching over his grand-daughter playing on the swings nearby.
“Let us go now, Pooja” he paused, “It’s time to go home”. He speaks with a broken English accent. Over the years he has adapted to the foreign tongue, the only language his grand kids understand.
“Not yet Grandpa! Can you push my swing please – one more time,” says the little girl with big black eyes, as she struggle with the slow-down of the swing.
“We have to go now, Pooja; the sun is going down.”
“It’s still light. One more push grandpa, please!”
Her delay tactics continue; she winning the every round of the bargain to go home.

After a few more swings and a long bargaining, they finally walk off the park. She skips along the sidewalk; their long silhouettes dragging behind them.

“Mom said you are making us a big kite. When can we fly it?”
“Soon. As soon as the winter is over and spring arrives.”
“Cool!”
“Look at the beautiful sunset, beta!” he points to the sun on the far western horizon as they turn the corner, their two story bungalow within the sight now.
She casually looks at the sunset. Unimpressed, she skips along. Continue reading →

Lies from overseas – Maanji and the computer

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He bows; reaches down to touch his grandma’s feet – to show respect.
She puts her right hand on his head. Her wrinkled hands shiver, the tears moisten their eyes. They embrace and hug outside the gate of the haweli. The driver drags two suitcases, from the trunk of the car, into the house.

“How was the flight?” she asks in a weak but firm voice.
She speaks in pure Punjabi – the only language she has ever spoken in her last 80 years of a well-lived life. She has not been to big cities, unless to attend some wedding, or a funeral. Her daily world is mostly limited to the few streets of her village, or up and down the family farm.

She is glowing with the excitement of seeing her grandson again, after so many years.

“The flight was good”, he replied without thinking. He looks around to take a stock of the dramatically changed neighborhood.

“You look old. The 5 years have aged you more than a decade”

“I know, maanji” That is what he always called her. In fact that is what the whole village calls her – Maanji, the mother.

She inquired about health, and the rest of extended family abroad. He, in return, talked about trivial stuff – like how the peepul tree near the pond has grown so old, how the streets are paved now….how it is so foggy even in the middle of the day…

They eventually got inside the house. The servant pulled a cot out of the veranda, into the dim sunlight breaking through the thinning fog. The winter day of February seemed warm – as if the chill has suddenly disappeared.

“so what do you do in America”. She asked again, the same question she has asked before on the phone many time.
“ I am .umm….Engineer”, he gave the same answer he had always given.
“I know, you told me that before. But, what do you do?”
“I work with the computers”
“How big are the computers in America? The one our Jeeta has is smaller than even a television.”
“They are small, small like that foot-rest”, he pointed to the small foot-stool next to the cot.

She got silent, perhaps thinking, or may be imagining him working with a small computer
She paused, and then spoke in a subdued tone, “After spending all your life in dorms and now abroad, you could not find a better job?” Continue reading →

10 Best Movies with NRIs and India Abroad Theme

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There are lots of movies – many made in Bollywood, some abroad – that explore the lives of NRIs and Indians living overseas. There are lots of films with ‘India Abroad and NRIs’ theme. However, not all the NRIs stories of overseas are well told, well played or worth the time. Some of the best movies that actually leave a lasting impression of the life abroad include:

1. Monsoon Wedding:Directed by Mira Nair, this is romance, comedy and drama – all together – depicting the lives of NRIs and the NRI weddings. An extravagant Punjabi wedding and the family traditions are beautifully directed throughout this movie. The touch of folk music is very refreshing. Naseeruddin Shah’s acting is solid once more, and plays a father who is organizing an enormous, chaotic, and very expensive wedding that involves NRI families coming together from different parts of the world.

2. East is East:This is a very comic and funny movie with a dark side of NRI story based out of England. Om Puri delivers one of the best acting of a conflicted father with double standards. Married to a white woman, the father forces his kids to live the traditional and strict desi lifestyle. The children, born and grown up in UK, see themselves as British and reject their father’s rules on dress, food, religion and arranged marriage.

3. Bend it like Beckham:Starring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, the title comes from the soccer player David Beckham’s skill at scoring from free kicks by “bending” (curving) the ball past a wall of defenders. It is a beautiful depiction of a Punjabi family’s life in England. The film explores the lives of Indians abroad and how NRIs ‘bend’ the social and traditional rules to adapt to the local culture. It has a lively music, with a touch of folk genre, including ‘Rabbaa Rabbaa Meeh Barsaa’.

4. Bride and Prejudice:This is a Bollywood style adaptation of the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen. It is filmed primarily in English, with some Hindi and Punjabi dialogue. The lead cast of Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Nadira Babbar, Anupam Kher and Naveen Andrews plays well in the desi adaptation of an old classic story of west. The wedding and party scenes, the complicated feelings of love, the dance numbers and culture depiction….are all nicely integrated. Continue reading →

R2I Surprises await the returning NRIs

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Everyone abroad talks about r2i – returning to India. Sooner or later, every Indian settled overseas considers returning home. Regardless how much you plan and how much you look forward to it, the real life experience always brings its own surprises – good and bad ones.

Most of the NRIs romanticize about the life in India. However, those returning to India have their own complaints about life back home:

Traffic: After living in American or Europe for a long time, we get used to the smooth flow of traffic and the traffic rules. Don’t expect the same after r2i. There are just way too many cars and bikes on the road, compared to what we are used to abroad. And remember, the more aggressive drivers make their own traffic rules, most of the time.
Not the same old neighborhood: I wrote a full article on this recently, the home we left behind many years ago is not the same, neither is the neighborhood.

Kids hate it: many parents return to India to raise their kids in Indian culture speaking Indian language. However, the whole experience is very hard on kids. The language, the new place, the new surroundings, the power cuts, the crowd….the whole thing overwhelms them. They like India for vacationing, but forget the permanent living part.

Faded bonds of Family and friends: Many of us return home to be with family and old friends. However, once you go back, it does not feel like the good old days. Everybody is on a different wavelength; they have their own lives to live. Continue reading →

NRIs’ misplaced nostalgia of good old days

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If you listen to the first generation of Indian Americans abroad – especially those who migrated long time ago – they paint a very bright and picture of their past memories of India:

“Those were different days – happier times. We never cared much about anything – anything but friendship and good company. The schools were parties – a meeting place where all the good and bad schemes were hatched…”

“All summer we played cards under the big shade tree next to the pond….And, when we got bored of cards, we played marbles, or took a nap on a cot. No air-conditioners could compete with the monsoon soaked eastern breeze of summer days. Those were the days….!”

The first generation of immigrants misses the homeland of India more than anything. In most of the week-end parties or social gatherings, talking about good old day is one of the common topics. The nostalgic discussion intensifies after a few drinks. The memories of childhood, the growing up, the friends back home, the food, the aimless wandering…well, there is no end to the journey down the memory lane, the memories of past left behind..

Yearning for the past is a human nature. We always cling to the memories of yesterdays. Regardless where we live, the nostalgia is nothing more than trying to hold on to the past. The past is not easy to let go, even though we all talk about moving on. Living abroad just adds one more dimension to all this – the living in the past. Continue reading →

Abroad, You never feel at Home

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Yes, it happened; it was bound to happen. I ran out of ideas.
I ran out of ideas to write about.

Not that my previous ideas were too special or too brilliant. Even the brilliant idea from last night – writing about a new-comer’s experiences – was very ordinary.
She is new student I recently ran into. From her experiences in America, I was hoping to get some new material for my blog.

“So how do you like in America?” I asked eagerly, hoping for a long story.
“Ah, it’s not all that bad, just about the same as I expected,” Dismissively, she said in a monotone.
“So, what is it that you don’t like it here, or dislike the most,” I rephrased the question, hoping to get something more.
“It is not much different; about the same as I expected,”

She was not helping out.
I paused. It cannot be; it is a new country, a new place all across the ocean.
“How about the language?” I pressed on.
“No, I speak English at home in Bangalore. I can speak many languages, but English is what we use the most.”
“Wow”, more disappointed than surprised, I did not know what else to say.

I was getting nothing’ no ideas, no new observations from the eyes of a new immigrant to USA.

“I liked the chicken burger”, she said with a light touch of satisfaction in her voice.
“What chicken burger?”
“The one from McDonalds, we just had, with French fries”
“Oh yeah, you like that kind of fast food?”
“I don’t like it, I love it!” she likes to say it. 
“So, you don’t get it back home?” I have not been back to India for many years.
“We do; you don’t know? We have everything there, McDonalds too?” Continue reading →

Why do NRIs return to India?

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Main R2I (Return-to-India) reasons for NRIs abroad

Over the years, a reverse trend is starting to take shape. More and more overseas NRIs are returning home, and others are considering the option. The reasons for R2I – return to India – vary from personal to business to emotional; some of the main ones are:

More job opportunities in a booming Indian economy: As Indian economy keeps on growing, year after year; there are more opportunities available in India compared to old days. The IT field continues to expand, creating demand for international professionals. The economic revolution that started in 1991 has reformed India into one of the major players on the world stage.

Slow down in America and other developed countries: The global markets are going through some of the worse economic recessions of all times. The unemployment in USA is at its highest in many decades. The bleak outlook in job markets and uncertain future abroad is one of the reasons for many immigrants to consider returning home.

Going back ‘Home’:The sense of belonging makes a big difference when deciding on the future path. It feels good to be back and going back to the roots - being a part of our own culture, our own society is a major psychological boost. Continue reading →

Manmohan Singh continues NRIs courting: Voting Rights and Brain Gain

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh continues to remind NRIs abroad that they are always welcome back home in India, perhaps more than ever before!

During his visit to USA in November, Prime Minister used the term “brain gain” instead of “reverse brain drain”. Thanking the Indian-American community for their contribution in building bridges between India and the United States, he invited the Indian diaspora worldwide to return home.
“Let me take this opportunity to extend an invitation to all Indian Americans and non-resident Indians who wish to return home to India in one capacity or another,” said Manmohan Singh. The Prime Minister said that Indian-Americans no longer had to make a choice about whether to work in India or America, “Modern technology and our flexible policies have opened possibilities of working in both places.” Continue reading →